One can also use the "fast" incremental.  This incremental does not do the
file compare.  However, you occasionally want to run a regular incremental
to mark deleted files as such.

While disturbing, is a nine hour backup a problem?  The clients tend to
fairly conservative from a resource standpoint and the data movement is
small and spread out.  Perhaps you don't really care.  I know that if your
schedule window is short you can get missed or failed messages with long
running backups, but if you know why perhaps you don't care.

*SM has lots of work to do.  For large filespaces that work takes time.

Have you tried the new 3.7 client?  Using the new resourceutilization
parameter, multiple streams are used to move data.  I believe there is still
only a single hunter/gatherer process running so it might not matter.  I
haven't played with this client on large filesystems.  Perhaps someone else
has.

Kelly J. Lipp
Storage Solutions Specialists, Inc.
PO Box 51313
Colorado Springs CO 80919
(719)531-5926
Fax: (719)260-5991
www.storsol.com
lipp AT storsol DOT com